The Sunday News
ZIMBABWE boasts a tremendous literacy rate. In 2009 the country had a high of 92,1 percent in literacy and was top in Africa. There is an intriguing paradox obscuring development in Zimbabwe and this is a high literacy rate and a low appreciation of entrepreneurial implementation. Small to medium enterprises are on the rise and that is a fact and more than $3 billion is said to be circulating in the informal sector.
Economists cry out here and there that when we divert that amount into the formal channels Zimbabwe will never be the same again. But hey I don’t want to bore you with such debates.
My concern here is in the making of entrepreneurs and real-big time entrepreneurs.
These are entrepreneurs who add value to society not by hand-outs. Entrepreneurs who share a percentage in the employment scales, improve the ordinary citizen by giving them an opportunity to express their talents and or their academic efforts, entrepreneurs who visualise and plan for their grandchildren but setting up grounds or structures that exceed them.
People who have a legacy to build and sustain and lastly entrepreneurs who seek to prove a point that within them is a mighty force that can turn around tables everyday.
This is just but motivational and or inspirational thoughts I am writing. To achieve that is my concern and with people proposing various means I have my own suggestion which most people have in mind.
A number of people consider that:
Entrepreneurship is a matter of changing the behavioural aspects of an individual and consequentially inculcates a new culture within them.
For this I have a perfect testimony and example Empritec Zimbabwe.
Entrepreneurship should be conducted through a learning process just like any other degree or educational process.
This means experts are created in the field and the biggest assumption is these individuals would be great entrepreneurs because like a lawyer they have been equipped with the necessary skills.
Entrepreneurs are born in families and thus they learn business operations through parent/guardian orientation.
Munenzva Bus Company, Kukura Kurerwa, Boka Auction Floors and other business enterprises followed this concept.
In more cases successes have been noted because among others the three institutions I have mentioned have not only been sustained but developed in one way or the other.
Entrepreneurs are not made but just directed. This means people like Zuckerberg, Bill Gates were born with rare talent.
Society just came in to shape their ideas and that was it.
Entrepreneurs are just like experts they need to be monitored, mentored and developed from a tender age. And this is the concept used by the Chinese Tiger-Moms.
Each and every theory above has its merits and demerits while there is hot debate on which one exactly is the best and appropriate way to create and sustain entrepreneurs.
What I consider to be the best way and option is one I think fits perfectly in the Zimbabwean society.
The uniqueness of the society generates automatically the uniqueness of the solution even though the solution lies within the societies that surround us.
Zim-Entrepreneurs must have traits!!! Experience oriented
“Experience is the best teacher”; the old adage goes. The ability to be involved in ‘deep end’ moment allows one to really understand how their individual capacities operate.
It is rare to want to notice your character when in a jovial moment than a challenging situation.
“Wisdom is gathered from different situations: One from which is noble, second from inspiration which is the easiest and third from experience which is bitter”. Experience builds one’s character when the results of each experience are directed in the positive direction.
Steve Jobs was booted out of a company he started and at that moment he sat down and came back with a bang.
Daniel Chingoma after making a helicopter prototype assumed the nation wouldl rally behind him but rather he was instructed never to fly that helicopter.
Strive Masiyiwa brought back home an intriguing idea of individual cellphones but after Parliament passed the motion to see it they ruled it out.
Nigel Chanakira in a brink almost lost his bank which he had started by selling his own house.
Tawanda Mutyebere not only challenged a big food outlet player but managed to outsmart them but was slapped with and intriguing lawsuit for copying.
These and more experiences are the ones known and everyone respect these great entrepreneurs.
However my concern is on the untold stories. The small entrepreneurs around Zimbabwe starting their institutions today and are being outsmarted or abused by the big players.
The untold stories I believe are the panacea to opening great doors for other up-and-coming entrepreneurs. The stories of those importing cars and making them taxis, the sudden collapse of the money changers world and their plight, the untold stories of the once “over-night diamond” rich fellas. The cross-borders who “pray” that Zimra doesn’t work against them.
The kombi operators who live to give kick-backs to police so that they can operate for that day. The dubious dealers at Zimex Mall in Harare who drive flashy cars while selling cellphones.
I believe these and more stories will build the conscience of the contemporary entrepreneurs.
Many a time people can watch from a distance and believe that they can copy that business idea and do great with it.
For instance, everyone rushed to the poultry project while rabbit rearing, dog breeding, piggery and other animal projects not only demand the same start-up but have higher profit margins.
These untold stories are the very experiences that will make my young brother in Form 1 take a clear and productive career decision than to just think he can “copy and paste” someone’s life.
The stories will inspire my Form 3 sister to know that she cannot only conceive a baby but far greater business ideas.
The stories will impact deeply on my friend’s brother sitting this year for O-level to know that, university is not the only way to success and a boilermaker is no less important than a medical doctor.
The stories will allow my tech-friend at Chinhoyi University to know that the person who said, “all inventions have been made and there is nothing new”, was just lying.
Because after that, nuclear bombs were made and now women can freeze their eggs and give birth even after the protracted menopause period.
These stories will empower my mother who always wanted to start a salon and she thinks she is way past her entrepreneurial age.
The stories will inform every societal member that, they are what they want to become, empower them with formidable momentum to drive their passions, inspire them to raise their hopes in the wake of troubles and tribulations and best of all strengthen them to believe in themselves completely.
Pardingtone Nhundu is a Career Development Consultant. He can be contacted on [email protected]
